Looking for the best, comfortable and quick 125's out there

[HarrisonTodd]

Hi guys, hit me with what you think are the best 125's out there at the moment, been looking at the Yamaha mt125 as from reviews I can pick up that its a comfortable and agile bike, completely different from the Aprilia rs4 50cc that I ride now.

Any other bikes that I maybe interested in?

Harrison

[HarrisonTodd]

The naked bikes are what I seem to be liking at the moment...

[bhinso]

I think the standard replies along here will be something along the lines of getting your full licence (Tef?)
However, if you're currently on a 50 I'm guessing maybe you're not old enough yet.

[Easy-X]

You don't need speed, my friend, you need style!

Superlight 125
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[HarrisonTodd]

That is indeed a very nice bike, especially full black

[leolion]

looked at the yzf125?

[bhinso]

I thought that one but they're pricey.
Personally I'd go for a wr125 but that's just me.

[leolion]

there's also the honda cb125 neo cafe to try.
Ktms are ok if you have somewhere very very safe to keep it and like fixing things.

[ThatDippyTwat]

Derbi Mulhacen Cafe. If you can find one. Stonking little bike. Make sure the electrics haven't been pissed about with though.

Hyosung Comet. Lots about but a lot have been abused and neglected.

Comfortable rules out the "race" stuff with a full on shitting frog position such as the YZF-R, Derbi GPR etc.
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[Alanz1]

I can’t complain with my 125

[Nobby the Bastard]

If you can find one, an RG125
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[redeem ouzzer]

GT125X3.

Don't need to be restricted either.
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[bhinso]

I don't think many learner bikes these days do need to be restricted. That's from the 2 stroke era, which is pretty much gone

[P.]

Varadero will be the best 125 4 stroke you can buy. Later FI models.

[stevo as b4]

Thing is do you want a brand new 125 or a really up to date ABS EFI one? And if not do you want a reliable 125 and one that is daily usable without alot of anal fettling and intensive maintenance schedule?

You say a quick 125, so how quick is quick? If you want the most mph for 125cc you have to have one that looks like a sportsbike and is fully faired. You can't have a funky naked and a bike that's good for tall riders with a roomy upright riding position if maximum mph is important?

Of course the above could be getting too autistic and you could just pick a bike you can afford and like the look of, and enjoy your 125 days happily enough and not get too worried about it.

If I was 17-19 today I'd want a newish 125 that's easy to look after, and I'd probably want a motard or a trail/enduro one as I've got no desire to want to own the local ring road speed record etc.

I also wouldn't as a young person pay the crazy prices for a nostalgic classic pinnacle 125 of the 80's/90's. Its stupid for any sensible person to lay out silly money on an old temperamental bike that's not guaranteed to get you to work and back every day.

But as an old bloke you can't escape that easily and nostalgia is a powerful wallet emptying drug that you crave and must have to excess. But then at my age I wouldn't have it any other way.

[Easy-X]

My mate at work with the Honda CBR600RR got a "racing" 125 as his first bike... brand new and the insurance was something like £1200 per year! It did go >70mph but that's really thrashing the engine.

His biggest regret ever, buying that 125.
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[stevo as b4]

Think if I was going to get a new (racing style) 125 today, I'd buy the Aprilia RS4. Its possibly underrated and has a quick shifter for getting the last few tenths out of 15bhp worth of acceleration and top speed.

You can also (opening a real can of worms here) get a 170cc big bore kit for the Derbi engine, and as a 17yr old kid keeping a bike for 2+years that would matter to me.

The other one is the KTM RC as you can bet that KTM have gone out to find every little bit of performance they can get from 14.6bhp, and it's also quite a big bike for a 125. The 390 engine is hardly any bigger physically and the rest of the bike is the same.

Me being me today I wouldn't buy any of the above, but it's £6-7000 125 enduro bikes I'm more into these days, and even then I'd consider the 250 and 350cc versions before buying as there's there's no real difference in price between different capacity bikes at that end of the market.

[Mclovin147]

I have just passed my CBT I have a Honda CB125R as my first bike.

Done a lot of research on a good first bike, and of course, you probably want something that looks good and you can take pride in! This bike ticks all the boxes for me to be fair. I’m not a mechanic, so I’m not very technical at all, but it looks fantastic, sounds good for a 125 (Good as in not sounding like a hair dryer and not sounding like someone trying to hide a 125 engine lol) and has some nice features. It has ABS and LCD dispay, great mileage and is just about the lightest curb weight in its class. Also like the fact that it shares a lot of its physical features with its older bigger brothers. Proper brakes, proper tyres, the forks (relatively speaking of course!) - near enough the Same, very well equipped for a 125.

Literally did my CBT yesterday, and the bikes we used felt and look like your stereotypical 125’s with the bicycle thin wheels, where as it’s quite difficult to tell the CB125R and the CB600R apart. If I recall, the exhaust is about the only obvious difference

It’s quite expensive though, £3900 odd from the dealership. But it will of course hold its value well should you decide to sell up and upgrade (This was my theory, rather sink my money into a solid/quality bike than go cheap and squander the remainder slowly in Uni life!). I was seeing most second hand CB125R’s for between £3000-£3500, so I chose to pay an extra ~£500+ for brand new.

Just a suggestion

[struan80]

My mate had a CB125R until he passed his test. He liked it so much he bought a CB650R after his test.

[Teflon-Mike]

Looking for the best, comfortable and quick 125's out there

All rather subjective: I'm 6'2" and almost half a century old, my ideas of 'comfy' are rather different to whenI was 17, or ifI was weenie enough to cramp myself onto an R6!!!

Meanwhile, 'road' 125's are world of NOT all that "quick".. ANY ov-em!!!!

The fastest 'production' 125's were homologation-special variants of the the 2-stroke Cagiva Mito and Aprillia RS125, Built for domestic Itralian Proddy racing, both were acredited with 101mph speeds through the traps for variopuse records... 101mph.. fantastic for a 125, but in the bigger scheme of stuff, there isn't a LOT actually that 'slow'.... and that's the cream of the crop.... these days built to meet Euro emmissions and A1 licence limits., most are 4-stroke and half the power, and the 'best' of them will top out at around the UK elevated sp[eed limit for a duel cariage way, 70mph.... if you wring the things kneck to get there, lying flat on the tank, and haven't bludgered it with daft ideas of 'de-restriction' driling holes in the air-box and exhaust....

'Best'... best what? Value for money? Best ecconomy? Best looks? Best to get through the gardenn gate? All dep-ends rather...

If progressing from a ped, we assume you must be 16, and more most likely on CBT, which by now will have half expired...

'Best' plan here and now would be to take the tests for an A! licence.... dont let you have anything more exiting thann any other 125 you cann ride on L-Plates.... BUT!

1/ you get to ditch the damn L-Plates.. you want good looks, that's BIGGEST improvement you can get, nowt looks good with L-Pltes professing wally status to the world, and risking 2 points for each one mising, damgaged or cut down...

2/ See 1 on topic of missing/damaged L-Plates. Soon as you have pssed A1, clock starts on the New-Driver-Probation, when they can send you back start, to do all tests over for just 6-points.. Ie a couple of tuggs for cracked L-Pllates could do it...So that 2 years is couning down in your favour whilst yopu are on a 125 least likely to let you get more points for... 'other chit".. rather than having 2 years counting down against you on a CBT cert.

3/ You dont have to repeat CBT to keep riding. Once you got licence, its yours for like, (almost) EVA... A-N-D you would be atreets ahead if you want a proppa wuick bike when you can take tests for higher licences.... tests is the same, and if you ncan pass them ona 125, little reason you shouldn't on anything else... just a bit of prtactice to get thefeel of aheavier more powerful machine should be all you need... whjilst by 'progressive licening' you should only have to repeat the MOD1 & 2.

4/ MEANWHILE... if you wish, you may carry pillions, use motorways and ride abroad. Small gains but gains none the less.

IE all good stuff an reason to GET A FULL LICENCE rathjer thanwally about on L's, playing at it.

As for the bike? I am sanguine and you have my sympathy, NONE of them are all that wondeful these days; the MT125 would probably get my money, if I was 17 again, and ANY motor-bike won out against Loraine and the back seat of the school-bus.... Its as slow as anything else, and quicker than a lot; looks, to me fairly smart and promices ro not be too umcomfy, whilst..and pay heed... it hould as long as you dont mangle it AND as lonmg as it domnt get nicked, hols its value pretty well...

On that notion, first spend would have to be prioratised on good locks, and NOT crashing... see comment on getting a licence.. tests sort of beg you can be a bit senible when you want and fessimng up to tests sort of begs attitude to be more sensible more often... and not pramng pride & joy so eagerly.....

After that? I would probably pick by insurance prices... at 17 y/o you gonna have your pockets picked!!! And the more desirable the bike... more they gonna sting ya...

Back to then tests... wont do much if anything to bring policy premiums down IME.. only getting old will do that... on of the only benefiots for all the grey in my beard TBH.... but still... IF you pick cheap and sensible, then you get lower insurance to start, and as long a you got themn locks and a BIT of savvy not to crash, you are acruing very very useful No-Claims-Discount towards more exiting bikes later on....

Which would probabl sway me from the MT125, towards an older YBR125 or even a Lexmoto....

BUT it's pretty muyh hobsons choice, no good ones, let alone 'best' ones, justy not 'so' bad ones... and really the bike is NOT what needs or should be top of the list.
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